The 2018 NWAL Tribal Summit: Event Recap and Photo Gallery

The 2018 Tribal Summit: Event Recap and Photo Gallery

On October 17 – 18, 2018, the Native Waters on Arid Lands project hosted our fourth annual Tribal Summit at the Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno. This event featured two days of presentations and interactive discussions related to climate change, water resources, agriculture, traditional knowledge, livestock and ranching, conservation practices, and other topics.

More than 90 people attended the 2018 Tribal Summit, traveling from communities and reservations located across Nevada, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Wisconsin, California, Ohio, and Hawaii.

Event highlights

The two day workshop featured keynote addresses by Daryl Vigil of the Jicarilla Apache Tribe on the Ten Tribes Partnership, Beverly Harry on the Water Protectors Sacred Run, and Terry Tatsey from the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana on the Blackfeet Water Settlement.

Breakout sessions focused on topics of: 1) Collaborative partnerships for economic development, cultural revitalization, wetland restoration and environmental conservation; 2) Water in the Native World:A case study of the intersection of Dine traditional knowledge and hydrology; 3) “Water footprint” – What is your tribes Story? 4) Economic development and production economics: The role of agriculture in economic development; and, 5) Building research capacity at Tribal Colleges and Universities and tribal communities.

For the first time, the 2018 Tribal Summit included a hands-on climate adaptation and vulnerability workshop, in which participants identified key factors contributing to vulnerability in their reservations or communities, and identified potential adaptation options.

The event concluded with a facilitated group discussion, in which participants were encouraged to provide feedback on topics that they would like to hear more about at future Summits.

Until next time!

The NWAL team would like to thank everyone who attended the 2018 Tribal Summit. We will be posting video of selected summit sessions on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIxehA7XJbhzvsIy25cHrQ) in coming weeks. We hope to see you all again next year!